Department for Transport

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 11 February (HL830), when they intend to announce whether charge points for electric vehicles will be installed in all newly built homes.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government is carefully considering the stakeholders responses we have received to the recent consultation on this matter and will respond in due course.

Motor Vehicles: Exhaust Emissions

lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial incentives they are considering for those purchasing low emission vehicles.

baroness vere of norbiton: We are investing nearly £1.5bn‎ between April 2015 and March 2021, with grants available for plug in cars, vans, lorries, buses, taxis and motorcycles, and schemes to support charge point infrastructure at homes, workplaces and on residential streets. This adds up to one of the most comprehensive support packages in the world for the transition to zero emission vehicles. On 4 February, the Prime Minister announced our intention to consult on bringing forward ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible, as well as including hybrids for the first time. We will be asking what the accompanying package of support will need to be to enable the transition to zero emission motoring while minimising the impacts on businesses and consumers across the UK, and building on the significant demand and supply side measures already in place.

Air Space

lord davies of gower: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many occurrences of denied access to controlled airspace have been reported using form FCS1521 in the last 12 months.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) received 16 reports of denied airspace access using its Form FCS 1521 during the 12-month period from 1 February 2019 to 31 January 2020. The government is aware of the genuine concerns of the general aviation community around access to controlled airspace. In October 2019 the government amended the Air Navigation Directions 2017. This requires the CAA to carry out a review of the classification of airspace to ensure the amount of controlled airspace is the minimum necessary to maintain a high standard of air safety and reflects the needs of all airspace users on an equitable basis.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

lord davies of gower: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government about the steps it is taking to increase the number of rapid charging points for electric vehicles in Wales.

baroness vere of norbiton: We recognise that Government collaboration with the devolved administrations (DAs) and local authorities is crucial to facilitating the transition to zero emission vehicles and addressing local air quality issues. Regular discussions about rapid chargepoints, as well as other measures to support electric vehicles, are held on an ongoing basis with the Welsh Government. The Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) had a roundtable in November 2019 with officials from all DAs, where we discussed progress and shared lessons, including around rapid chargepoint rollout. OLEV are working with Welsh officials to organise a workshop in Wales, where local authorities can hear about and discuss best practice to supporting zero emission vehicle uptake in their areas As of 1st January 2020, there were 569 publicly available charging devices in Wales. Of these, 61 were rapid and a further 10 were ultra-rapid.

Aviation: Allergies

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of airlines operating in the UK which serve peanuts to passengers and of the risk that poses to passengers with peanut allergies.

baroness vere of norbiton: Government is committed to seeing improved clarity and consistency in how airlines deal with nut allergies. We are keen to ensure that passengers with peanut allergies have the confidence to travel safely. The sale of nuts onboard aircrafts is a commercial decision for individual airlines. We are encouraged by some of the recent measures taken by industry and we encourage industry to continue taking appropriate measures.

Holyhead Port

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the Welsh Government, (2) the Isle of Anglesey County Council, and (3) any other organisations, about the future of (a) Irish Sea crossings, and (b) access to the EU, from the port of Holyhead.

baroness vere of norbiton: There has been, and there will continue to be, frequent liaison between Government Departments, the Welsh Government and other interested parties regarding access to Ireland and access to other EU Member States.

Aviation: Exhaust Emissions

viscount thurso: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of greenhouse gas emissions from (1) aircraft taking off and landing within the UK, and (2) aircraft taking off in the UK bound for overseas destinations.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Government recognises that the fight against climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and it is right that we continue to focus on highlighting emissions and plan for their ongoing reduction.The Government reports on emissions produced by domestic flights operating between UK airports. In accordance with international guidelines set by UNFCCC, the Government also reports on emissions from international flights operating at UK airports. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) report on all of these Greenhouse Gas emissions statistics annually. The statistics for 2018 were published just last week, and are readily available online at gov.uk.

Electric Vehicles

viscount thurso: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the likely increase in electric vehicles on UK roads between (1) 2020 and 2025, and (2) 2025 and 2030.

baroness vere of norbiton: Recent years have seen significant year on year rises in UK registrations of electric vehicles. The Government expects this trend to continue, driven by our comprehensive, world-leading support package for the transition to zero emission vehicles. Exact numbers will depend on a wide range of factors, which are influenced by the markets for vehicles and chargepoint infrastructure, as well as by Government support. As the Prime Minister announced on 4 February, we intend to consult on bringing forward ending the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars and vans from 2040 to 2035, or earlier if a faster transition appears feasible.

Railways: Mobile Phones

baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that railway franchise holders improve mobile phone signal coverage on trains.

baroness vere of norbiton: The Department recognises the importance of providing mobile connectivity for rail passengers and has sought improvements when franchises are renewed. In both the new East Midlands and West Coast Partnership franchises, the operators have committed to improving mobile connectivity for their passengers on trains and at stations. Beyond these franchises, we continue to seek other opportunities to enhance mobile connectivity across the rail network. In particular, the Department has been working with Ofcom, Network Rail and others to improve the data available about mobile phone signals along rail corridors so that operators can take this into account. This was published by Ofcom in December 2019.

Railways: Capital Investment

lord shutt of greetland: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the announcement that some railway lines closed in 1963 will be reopened, (1) how much track mileage is to be re-opened for passenger traffic on lines presently in place or used only for freight; (2) how much track mileage is to be re-opened for passenger traffic where track has been removed; and (3) how many stations are to be re-opened on lines presently used for passengers, in the next (a) five, and (b) 10, years.

baroness vere of norbiton: The volume of railway lines and stations that will be re-opened through the £500m investment, being made during this Government and in subsequent years, will depend on the costs and value for money of qualifying schemes. The Secretary of State is inviting MPs to work with local authorities and community groups to come forward with proposals to explore.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Weather: Forecasts

lord jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Duncan of Springbank on 14 January (HL222), why thePublic Weather Service Customer Group's targets each year for the accuracy of forecasts do not include rainfall.

lord callanan: The Met Office measures the accuracy of its rainfall forecasts by comparing forecast rainfall accumulation against rainfall estimates from radar and actual rainfall measurements from gauges. The Met Office reports on the accuracy of rainfall forecasts to the Public Weather Service Customer Group (PWSCG). Since 2017, the PWSCG has included verification of the forecast weather symbol as part of this formal forecast accuracy target. This measures how accurate the forecast was in terms of whether it was sunny, cloudy or raining. Since its introduction, this metric has shown that the accuracy of the forecast weather symbol has improved at all forecast time scales.

British Business Bank

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the British Business Bank lent through peer-to-peer lending platforms in each of the last two financial years; and whether the British Business Bank continues to provide loans to new borrowers through peer-to-peer platforms or whether loans are now confined to supporting previous borrowers sourced through peer-to-peer platforms.

lord callanan: The British Business Bank does not lend directly to SMEs. The Bank’s total exposure through peer-to-peer delivery partners was:· £101.3m at 30 September 2019 (the latest data available), and· £102.9m at 31 March 2019.The Bank’s exposure contributes to loans to SMEs. In combination with other funders, the new loans it supported through peer-to-peer platforms were as follows:· £268.7m of new finance to 2,738 SMEs in the six months to 30 September 2019 (the latest data available), and· £705.4m of new finance to 7,794 SMEs in Financial Year 2018/19.The Bank’s exposure to peer-to-peer delivery partners continues to provide finance to new SME borrowers.

Coronavirus: China

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial impact the outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus has had on the technology market.

lord callanan: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have made no such assessment. The Government is closely monitoring developments in relation to potential economic impacts on the UK economy and individual businesses and supply chains.

Small Business Commissioner

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to launch their consultation on strengthening the powers of the Small Business Commissioner.

lord callanan: The Government is committed to delivering our manifesto commitment to strengthen the powers of the Small Business Commissioner and clamp down on late payments. Strengthening these powers will support small businesses who struggle to cover financial shortfalls and find temporary finance more expensive to obtain.Good progress is being made on the policies announced in the Government Response to the Call for Evidence to assess what further steps and intervention may be needed to create a responsible payment culture.

Business: Billing

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government when full responsibility for the Prompt Payment Code will be moved to the Small Business Commissioner.

lord callanan: We are working with the Interim Small Business Commissioner to transfer the administration of the Code by the end of the financial year.

Business: Billing

lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of businesses who have signed up to the Prompt Payment Code have their standard payment terms listed on the Prompt Payment Code website.

lord callanan: Data provided by the Chartered Institute of Credit Management states that 53% of Code signatories (1,317 of the 2,472) have provided their standard payment terms for inclusion on the Prompt Payment Code website.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they aremaking to the government of Israel about the reported imprisonment of Palestinian children in Israel in conditions that are insanitary and abusive.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK has significant concerns about the continued reports of ill-treatment of Palestinian minors in Israeli military detention. Reports of the heavy use of painful restraints and the high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations, are particularly concerning. We also remain concerned at reports of the continued transfer of Palestinian child and adult detainees to prisons inside Israel in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention in the country. We welcomed progress made with recent Israeli policy amendments. This includes a reduction in the number of detainees aged 12 to 14 years old, the increase in the age of maturity from 16 to 18 years old, the establishment of separate juvenile courts and the enactment of a special statute of limitations for minors. Initial detention periods have also been shortened. However, we continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities on the treatment of Palestinian children in detention. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv did so most recently on 16 December 2019.

Israel: Palestinians

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel aboutreports of harassment, detention and violence towards teachers and pupils by Israeli forces, sometimes accompanied by Israeli settlers.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have publicly and privately expressed our longstanding concerns about the use of excessive force by the Israel Defense Forces. We have also stressed the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, including children. We are clear that Israel has the legitimate right to self-defence, and the right to defend their citizens from attack. In doing so, it is vital that all actions are proportionate, in line with International Humanitarian Law, and are calibrated to avoid civilian casualties. We also condemn any incidence of violence by settlers against Palestinians. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv last raised settler violence with the Israeli authorities on 17 December 2019. We welcome the efforts of Israeli authorities to address settler violence, and urge them to thoroughly investigate every instance and bring those responsible to justice.

West Bank: Water Supply

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel about the reported destruction of a Palestinian water network in the village of Bardala in the Jordan Valley.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not raised this specific issue, the UK has previously raised our concerns over access to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territories with the Israeli authorities, including stressing the need to take immediate and practical measures to improve the situation and ensure fair distribution of water in the West Bank. These resources are limited and therefore require the effective co-operation from all parties to manage them in such a manner that ensures there will be enough for all. The UK is more than tripling our spending on economic development programming - providing £58 million between 2018 and 2023. This includes helping to improve water and energy supply across the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Bahrain: Huddersfield University

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports published in The Times and The Yorkshire Post that facilities at the Royal Academy of Policing in Bahrain have been used for the torture of political prisoners, whether they have had any discussions with the University of Huddersfield about its provision of an MSc in Security Science exclusively to students at that Academy.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government consistently and unreservedly condemns torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and it is a priority for us to combat it wherever and whenever it occurs.We urge all allegations of this nature to be reported to the appropriate national oversight body whose duty it is to carry out full, independent investigations into these allegations and we continue to encourage the oversight bodies to carry out swift and thorough investigations into any such claims.

Taiwan: Coronavirus

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the World Health Organisation about including the 18 cases of coronavirus on Taiwan with the 40,000 in China; and whether they are concerned that this misrepresents the true position in Taiwan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Alongside a number of like-minded countries, the UK has raised at the highest levels of the World Health Organisation the importance of having accurate data on Taiwan. It is crucial that there is an accurate picture of how the virus is spreading globally. Public Health England reports cases in mainland China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Macau SAR and Taiwan separately.

Taiwan: Coronavirus

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the World Health Organisation about sharing its information on coronavirus with the government of Taiwan separately from the information that that organisation has shared with the government of China.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Alongside a number of like-minded countries, the UK has raised, at the highest levels of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the importance of all states and territories having access to the most up to date information about COVID-19. This is consistent with the UK's longstanding position that Taiwan should be able to meaningfully participate in international organisations such as the WHO, where statehood is not a prerequisite and it can contribute to the global good.

Qassem Soleimani

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 January (HL Deb, col 258) and the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 January (HL523), whether the military operation on 3 January which killed General Soleimani met the test of imminence for the purposes of self-defence in international law.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Article 51 of the UN Charter recognises that all States have an inherent right of self-defence. The strike against Soleimani was not a UK operation. It is for the United States to say how the criteria for self-defence are met, and you will be aware that the United States set out the basis for its action in a letter to the UN Security Council dated 8 January 2020.

Bahrain: Human Rights

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what methodology they use to monitor and track the human rights situation in Bahrain.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We monitor events in Bahrain closely and take note of a number of sources of information. Bahrain remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty, allegations of torture and mistreatment in detention and concerns over freedom of expression and assembly. We continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Bahrain: Human Rights

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they undertook their most recent assessment of the human rights situation in Bahrain; and whether the situation has (1) improved, or (2) deteriorated, since their previous assessment.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our most recent assessment was published as part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Human Rights and Democracy Report in June 2019. Bahrain remains an FCO human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty, allegations of torture and mistreatment in detention and concerns over freedom of expression and assembly. We monitor events in Bahrain closely and continue to encourage the Government of Bahrain to deliver on its international and domestic human rights commitments.

Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

baroness fall: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the total NHS budget is spent on child and adolescent mental health services.

lord bethell: Approximately 1% of the total National Health Service budget was spent on children and young people’s mental health services in 2018/19 through clinical commissioning group spend and NHS specialised commissioning.It should be noted that this does not include other areas that may include spending on children and young people’s mental health services, such as primary care and health and justice.We are spending more than ever before to transform community mental health services, expand crisis care and improve services for children and young people. The Government has also committed to a further £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 of extra investment in mental health services to support 380,000 more adults and 345,000 more children.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

baroness fall: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of referrals of children from school-based teams are referred for treatment through child and adolescent mental health services; and what is the average waiting time between referral and treatment.

baroness fall: To ask Her Majesty's Government what reasons are given for the rejection of referrals tochild and adolescent mental health services from school-based teams.

lord bethell: This information is not available. The Mental Health Services Data Set does not contain data specific to ‘school-based teams’.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

baroness fall: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any evidence of deterioration in the mental health of those referred tochild and adolescent mental health servicesin the period between initial assessment at the point of referral and treatment; and how they assessany such deterioration.

lord bethell: The information is not held in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

baroness fall: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support is available to the children on waiting lists for treatment bychild and adolescent mental health services, and to the parents of such children.

lord bethell: We do not hold information nationally on what support is available for children on waiting lists and their parents.Local clinical commissioning groups commission a wide range of services based on the needs of their patients, and this may include additional or online support that might be helpful to children and their parents when on a waiting list.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

baroness fall: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of mental health trailblazer areas; and whether they plan to roll out the scheme more widely.

lord bethell: The first 59 Mental Health Support Teams will become operational very soon as part of the first wave of 25 ‘trailblazer’ areas, and 12 of these will also test the four-week waiting time for children’s and young people’s mental health services. In July 2019, NHS England confirmed a further 57 areas, where 123 new teams will be deployed from the end of 2020 to early 2021.We are aiming to roll out Mental Health Support Teams to at least a fifth of the country by the end of 2022/23, with what we have learned from the first wave informing our approach.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the research in the British Medical Journal, Modelling the annual NHS costs and outcomes attributable to healthcare-associated infections in England, published on 22 January.

lord bethell: Preventing and controlling the spread of healthcare associated infections continues to be a priority for this Government and we welcome this study’s contribution to the evidence base.As the authors of the report highlight, a number of the model inputs are assumptions or uncertain values. Application of appropriate methodology is important in gaining unbiased estimates of the key cost and health parameters attributable to length of stay and mortality attributable to infection; Public Health England is collaborating with academia to develop such methodologies. This will enable greater certainty in estimates of the cost and outcomes attributable to these infections.NHS England and NHS Improvement continues to work to prevent, diagnose and treat infection appropriately, reducing the burden and the costs of healthcare associated infection in our trusts and in the community and maintaining the low level of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus and Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) infections since 2012.The United Kingdom’s national action plan for antimicrobial resistance, published on 24 January 2019, includes a strengthened focus on infection prevention and control and sets an ambition to halve levels of healthcare associated Gram-negative blood stream infections by 2023-24.

Podiatry: Training

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the removal of NHS bursaries on the number of people studying podiatry in England.

lord bethell: The latest data on the number of people accepting an offer to study a podiatry course in England is presented in the following table. Academic year2015-162016-172017-182018-192019-20Number of acceptances285305230215180  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service End of Cycle data, 2019

Musculoskeletal Disorders

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much NHS England has spent on treating musculoskeletal disorders in each year since 2000.

lord bethell: This information is not held centrally. The funding and commissioning of services for musculoskeletal disorders is a local matter, over which individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility. CCGs are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and allocate funding for services to meet those needs from the overall resource allocations they receive.

Diabetes: Podiatry

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much NHS England has spent on diabetic foot ulceration and amputations in each year since 2000.

lord bethell: The information is not held in the format requested.

Podiatry

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work of podiatrists in the NHS and in private practice to prevent conditions deteriorating and increasing longer term treatment costs for the NHS.

lord bethell: The NHS People Plan work programme is completing a review of all allied health professions, including podiatrists. This will look at capacity requirements up to 2024 considering both the current and future capacity needs for all allied health professions. The NHS People Plan is due to be published in early 2020.

Dementia

lord mccrea of magherafelt and cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what lifestyle changes they recommend to slow the progress of dementia.

lord bethell: Lifestyle changes which may help prevent or delay the onset of dementia include being more physically active, eating healthily and maintaining a healthy weight, not exceeding lower risk levels of alcohol consumption, not smoking, connecting with people and staying mentally active, and controlling diabetes and high blood pressure.An aspiration of the Government’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 is to improve public awareness and understanding of the factors which can increase the risk of developing dementia and of how people can reduce their risk by living more healthily.

NHS: Drugs

baroness mcintosh of pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of medical supplies following the outbreak of Wuhan coronavirus and the closure of manufacturing facilities in China; and what contingencies they have in place in the event of any shortages of supplies.

lord bethell: The National Health Service and wider health system are extremely well prepared for these types of outbreaks and follow tried and tested procedures of the highest standards to protect staff, patients and the public. The Department has stepped up its efforts to assess risks to the availability of medical supplies and put in place contingencies to help ensure uninterrupted supply.These efforts have included:- a response group has been established to evaluate the potential impacts of this situation on continuity of supply of medical goods;- asking suppliers to conduct a full risk assessment of the impact of the situation on their supply chains;- requesting that suppliers who still retain some or all of their European Union exit stockpiles, should hold on to them, while the Department considers more targeted approaches;- directing NHS Supply Chain to pause ramp-down activity of the centralised stock-build of medical devices and clinical consumables; and- contacting all known medical suppliers trading from or via China.Working closely with industry, the NHS and others in the supply chain, we continue to monitor the situation to help prevent shortages and minimise the risks to patients.

Genito-urinary Medicine

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that sexual health services are able to meet current demand.

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) is the purpose, and (2) are the objectives, of the national sexual health and reproductive health strategy.

baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to reintroduce the mandatory 48 hour access guideline for sexual health services in England.

lord bethell: Local authorities in England are mandated to provide comprehensive open access sexual health services including access to the full range of contraception and sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment. The Government provides funding to local authorities for their public health responsibilities, including sexual health services, through the public health grant. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, including the need for sexual health services taking account of their statutory duties. Consultations at sexual health services increased by 15% between 2014 and 2018 (from 3,101,960 to 3,561,548).Work on the development of a new national sexual and reproductive health strategy is underway with the Department working with Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Improvement, local government and other partners. Initial engagement has already taken place and we are considering the response to the Green Paper Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s along with suggestions for priority areas for the new strategy we received through the consultation process. Details of the strategy’s scope and objectives will be announced in due course.There are currently no plans to reintroduce the mandatory 48 hour access guideline for sexual health services in England.

Coronavirus: Taiwan

lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that their announcements on the number of cases of coronavirus will disaggregate the figures for Taiwan from those of China.

lord bethell: Public Health England reports separately on cases in mainland China and Taiwan and other places. This data can be found online on the COVID-19: epidemiology, virology and clinical features page on the Government website. As of 25 February 2020, there are 77,658 confirmed cases in mainland China and 31 confirmed cases in Taiwan.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government why only 206 new prison places have so far been created to help meet their 2016 commitment to produce 10,000 new places.

lord keen of elie: In 2016, the then Secretary of State for Justice announced the creation of up to 10,000 new for old prison places. As part of this, a new 206 place houseblock at HMP Stocken was opened in June 2019. Work to construct a modern, uncrowded, decent, safe and secure prison at Wellingborough, providing 1,680 places, is progressing on schedule and we will commence work to build a 1,680 place prison at Glen Parva in the Summer, bringing the total places delivered to 3,566. The Prime Minister has committed to invest up to £2.5 billion to transform the prison estate by building 10,000 additional places – in addition to the 3,566 already being delivered. The first of these new prisons will be at Full Sutton. All future new prison developments are subject to receiving planning permission and will be announced in due course. We acknowledge the National Audit Office’s review, ‘Ministry of Justice, HM Prison and Probation Service: Improving the prison estate’, undertaken in 2019 and we will be carefully considering the report to ensure that we are able to effectively deliver the additional 10,000 places whilst ensuring value for money for taxpayers.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Government Departments: Land

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government for each government department, (1) what was the target for the amount of land to be released for housing in the past ten years; (2) how much land has been disposed of for this purpose and what are the estimated numbers of housing units to be provided; (3) how many of those houses were for (a) affordable housing, and (b) social housing; and (4) what are the targets for this (a) year, and (b) the forthcoming five year period starting with this year.

baroness bloomfield of hinton waldrist: The Public Land for Housing programme (2015-2020) supports the government’s Estate Strategy aim to identify and release surplus central government land. The aim of the programme is to release land with capacity for at least 160,000 homes in England from the central government estate by 31 March 2020. This followed delivery of the 2011-15 Public Land for Housing programme through which surplus land with capacity for 109,000 homes against a target of 100,000 homes was released.The new performance data released on the Public Land for Housing Programme was published on Thursday 6 th February 2020, (data release attached) and shows that since the start of the current programme to the end of June 2019, departments had sold 508 sites with capacity for c48,000 homes. We confirmed to the Public Accounts Committee in 2019 that land release for 160,000 homes will be achieved to a longer timeframe due to the complexities of disposal and the evolving demands placed on departments’ estates.Full details of the data requested are set out in the data tables document attached. To note in regards to data on affordable housing, once a site has been sold by the department, the allocation of affordable housing is agreed between local authorities and developers on a site by site basis.We are currently considering options for a future programme that supports the government’s emerging priorities, reflecting on lessons learnt from both programmes. Decisions on a future programme, including targets for departments, will be made at Spending Review



Data table in response to PQ HL 1573
(Word Document, 30.56 KB)




Public Land Housing Programme data release
(PDF Document, 645.19 KB)

Ministry of Defence

Ammunition: Beaufort Dyke

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the amount of munitions dumped in Beaufort’s Dyke in the Irish Sea.

baroness goldie: Documents publicly available at The National Archives indicate that an estimated million tons of conventional munitions may have been dumped in Beaufort's Dyke between 1945 and 1973.These documents can be found at:https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121203135425/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/HealthandSafetyPublications/DSEA/DisposalOfMunitionsAtSea.htmThe Ministry of Defence holds no additional information relating to the amount of munitions dumped in Beaufort's Dyke.

Army: Training

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the full cost of training a regular army recruit undertaking Phaseone basic training, including (1) staff, (2) accommodation, and (3) logistics, costs; and how long that training takes.

baroness goldie: The Basic Training course at the Army Training Centre (Pirbright) is 14 weeks. This is the shortest basic training course for Regular soldiers, and recruits go on from Pirbright to train in their trade for longer periods which vary depending on their selected job role. The average cost of basic training for a soldier successfully passing the Army Training Centre (Pirbright) is estimated at approximately £38,000. This can be broken down as follows: Cost Category£K/TraineeNoteClothing1.9 Ammunition0.4 Trainee Pay9.0 Other stock consumption0.8Includes ration packs and respiratorsManpower16.2Direct and indirect manpower costs for both military and civilian staffInfrastructure8.0Accommodation and training facilitiesAdministration Overhead1.8 Total38.1  These costs represent the cost of 1,695 trainees completing basic training. Costs have been apportioned to the course on the basis of activity, however there may be further costs not shown, that are captured under the greater Pirbright establishment output.

Army: Training

earl attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average total number of (1) civilian, and (2) military, staff working for an army training regiment; and how many recruits such a regiment can train at any one time.

baroness goldie: The capacity for Army Training Centre (Pirbright) for training year 2020-21 is currently planned to be 4,032. This is comprised of two training regiments with an overall establishment of approximately 570 staff, of whom 470 are military and 100 are civil servants.

Rules of Engagement

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Goldie on 16 January (HL Deb, col 861), on how many occasions UK personnel embedded in partner forces have been asked to engage in "unagreed operations" in (1) 2016, (2) 2017, and (3) 2018.

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Goldie on 16 January (HL Deb, col 861), on how many occasions UK personnel embedded in partner forces were given permission for "unagreed operations" in (1) 2016, (2) 2017, and (3) 2018.

baroness goldie: The Department does not hold these details centrally and they could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The parameters of an embeds duties are agreed before deployment. Should the host nation wish to change these after deployment the embed will seek further clearance from the MOD. As such, there are no 'unagreed operations' undertaken by UK Armed Forces embedded in our allies' Armed Forces. The reply given during the debate of 16 January was to assure the noble Lords that checks and balances are in place to protect our personnel and to ensure that they remain compliant with UK law and any policy restrictions we may place upon them.

Abdul Reza Shahlai

lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Defence was informed of the operation to target Abdul Reza Shahlai in Yemen on 3 January before the failed strike took place; and if so, whether it provided any material support to that action.

baroness goldie: We do not comment on our allies' operational decisions.

Air Force: Cadets

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the contribution of the air cadets to the UK.

baroness goldie: The Ministry of Defence commissioned a study by Northampton University that identified that RAF Air Cadets make a significant contribution to the UK by enabling young people to improve their social skills, mental and physical wellbeing and increase social mobility. The RAF Air Cadets encourages educational and career attainment for both cadets and adult volunteers and promotes the development of transferable skills which helps to foster good citizens of the future who are able to contribute to society and the local community.

Department for Work and Pensions

Pneumoconiosis: Compensation

lord wigley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total amount of money paid by way of compensation under the provisions of thePneumoconiosis etc. (Workers' Compensation) Act 1979 in (1) 1990–99, (2) 2000–09, and (3) 2010–19.

baroness stedman-scott: The available information is shown in the table below: Industrial injuries benefits expenditure, of which Pneumoconiosis 1979 £ million, nominal terms£ million, real terms, 2019/20 prices1994/95361995/96461996/97581997/98571998/998121999/0011162000/0112172001/0214212002/0320282003/0419272004/0521282005/0647612006/0733412007/0827342008/0932382009/1035422010/1138442011/1238432012/1342472013/1445502014/1545492015/1646502016/1742452017/184143   2018/1943..Sources: 1994-2018 DWP Historic and forecast benefit expenditure and caseload data:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/benefit-expenditure-tables 2018/19 Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit: quarterly statistics:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-injuries-disablement-benefit-quarterly-statistics Notes:Figures are in £ millions‘..’ not available

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds of Prey: Conservation

lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Gardiner of Kimble on 4 June 2019 (HL15826) and following the inception of the Raptor Persecution Priority Group, how that group will measure its success; and how many prosecutions have been mounted for the unlawful killing of hen harriers.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group is a police, rather than Government, led group. The group’s objectives are supported by a tactical delivery plan which sets out targeted measurable actions to reduce raptor persecution in England and Wales. Ministry of Justice data shows that between 2013 and 2018 there were 98 prosecutions for offences against birds under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is not possible to break this data down by species.

Fisheries: Foreign Companies

lord jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will list (1) the involvement of overseas companies in UK-based fishing companies, and (2) the percentage of overseas involvement in all the quotas and total allowable catch allocations applied to the UK under the Common Fisheries Policy.

lord gardiner of kimble: The UK’s quota is currently allocated on the basis of Fixed Quota Allocation (FQA) units which are attached to UK vessel licences. These can only be allocated to vessels registered and licensed in the UK. A decision by a British fisher to sell a licence to, or buy a licence from, another fisher or company is a commercial one, and one for fishers alone to make. An economic link condition was introduced to UK licences in 1999 to make sure a genuine economic benefit is accrued to the UK from the fishing of UK quota. The Government is considering reform of the economic link condition after the transition period as part of the development of our future fisheries management arrangements. The FQA Register is a list of fishing vessel licences, the FQA units linked to them and the owners. The FQA Register can be found online at: www.fqaregister.service.gov.uk

National Parks: Tourism

lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to stop overcrowding as a result of tourism in National Parks in England.

lord gardiner of kimble: The ‘Sandford Principle’ was enshrined in the law through the Environment Act 1995. That principle requires the National Park Authorities to attach greater weight to their statutory purpose of conserving and enhancing natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage than their other statutory purpose of promoting opportunities for public enjoyment where there appears to be a conflict between the two. For example, should tourism or recreational activities potentially lead to overcrowding that could damage the conservation and enhancement of a National Park’s natural beauty, the National Park Authority should take steps to prioritise the latter. In most cases, it is possible to avoid potential conflicts through negotiation, planning and sensitive management strategies; the Government expects the National Park Authorities to take the lead in encouraging mediation, negotiation and cooperation. As part of our 25 Year Environment Plan, the Government commissioned an independent review of designated landscapes in England, led by Julian Glover. We welcome the independent review and are now considering its findings, including its proposal on sustainable tourism.

Fly-tipping

the earl of shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of current legislation relating to fly tipping in (1) urban, and (2) rural, areas.

lord goldsmith of richmond park: In its manifesto, the Government committed to increase the penalties for fly-tipping. Fly-tipping is unacceptable whether it occurs in urban or rural areas and tackling this crime is a priority for the Government. Existing legislative and regulatory controls are the same for both urban and rural areas. Tackling fly-tipping requires a local approach, tailored to the characteristics of the area and the community in which the problem occurs. We are committed to encouraging local solutions for local problems and the role of central Government is to enable and support this local action: providing a clear legal framework of rights, responsibilities and powers, setting national standards and, where possible, making sure that the costs of dealing with fly-tipping is passed to those responsible for causing the problem.The Resources and Waste Strategy, published in 2018, set out an ambitious package of commitments to modernise the way waste is regulated, to prevent, detect and deter waste crime, including fly-tipping. Defra is subsequently preparing a number of legislative reforms to tackle waste crime, including fly-tipping. We are taking forward the commitment in the Strategy to develop proposals for the reform of the waste carrier, broker and dealer regime. We are working with industry and the regulator and we intend to consult later this year. At the same time, we intend to consult on the introduction of mandatory electronic waste tracking. This will reduce the ability of waste criminals to hide evidence of the systematic mishandling of waste and make it easier for enforcement authorities to identify material dropping out of the system, and therefore make it easier to protect against fly-tipping. The reforms aim to improve competence in waste transportation and deter illegitimate operators from entering the sector. This will help to ensure that waste is dealt with appropriately and to reduce the incidence of waste crime and fly-tipping.The Environment Bill provides a significant step forward in delivering a number of the commitments set out in the Resources and Waste Strategy. The newly introduced Bill amends section 108 of the Environment Act 1995 to make it easier for an officer to search premises to seize and remove documentary or other evidence. The new power does not require a warrant if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that first obtaining a warrant would allow for evidence to be concealed, altered or destroyed. Further to this, Schedule 11 of the Environment Bill removes the seven-day notice period required before powers of entry can be used to access residential premises. The current seven-day notice requirement enables, for example, rogue waste carriers who operate from their home address rather than a business address, to destroy evidence. These new powers will work to ensure waste criminals, such as illegitimate waste operators reliant on fly-tipping for income, are held accountable for their actions.In recent years we have bolstered local authorities’ powers to tackle fly-tipping, including introducing fixed penalty notices of up to £400 for those who give their waste to fly-tippers, or fly-tip themselves. We have also enhanced the powers available to local authorities and the Environment Agency to search and seize the vehicles of suspected fly-tippers.As well as legislative changes, Defra is developing a fly-tipping toolkit, following a commitment in the Resources and Waste Strategy. The toolkit will be a web-based tool to help local authorities and others work in partnership to tackle fly-tipping. It will cover, for example, the use of new technology to report fly-tipping, the presentation of cases to court, the sharing of intelligence within and between partnerships and promoting the duty of care to individuals and businesses.Furthermore, as the majority of fly-tips involve household waste (62% in 2018/19), we published a research project on public awareness of and adherence to the household waste duty of care in August 2019. At the same time, we published related publicity materials. The materials have been provided to the Local Government Association to circulate to local authorities. They are also available on the website of National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, which is chaired by Defra: http://www.tacklingflytipping.com. By limiting the material given to fly-tippers and using appropriately licenced waste carriers, everyone can play their part in reducing fly-tipping incidents.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty

baroness jones of moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) protect, and (2) enhance, the tranquility of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan has set out our comprehensive and long-term approach to protecting and enhancing the environment in England. The importance of designated landscapes, including Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), is made clear in the plan. Tranquillity is a key component of AONB purpose. To reflect this it is included in the special qualities of why many of these sites have been designated to be protected as AONBs. AONBs are some of our most treasured landscapes. Funding for these landscapes has been protected in real terms since 2015. We recognise their value and are committed to help them thrive. The AONBs received over £6.5 million during 19/20 of core grant funding from Defra to deliver their statutory purpose. The Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively in order to promote good health and quality of life. We have protections in place to avoid significant adverse noise impacts for example through our planning system, our environmental permitting systems, in vehicle and product standards, and noise abatement legislation.

Home Office

Aircraft: Theft

lord davies of gower: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many thefts of aircraft (1) engines, and (2) avionics, have been reported to police over the last five years.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office collects and publishes data on offences of theft reported to and recorded by the police, but it is not possible to separately identify those involving theft of aircraft engines or avionics.

Aircraft: Theft

lord davies of gower: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent the sale of stolen aircraft parts.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is clear that the theft of aircraft parts, and other forms of acquisitive crime should be reported to the police so that they can be investigated appropriately. To help ensure that the police have the resources they need to do so, we are recruiting 20,000 officers over the next three years. £45 million has already been committed in 2019/20 to start the recruitment process and a further £750 million will be invested in 2020/21 to enable forces across England and Wales to recruit 6,000 additional officers by the end of March 2021. In addition, the Crown Prosecution Service is receiving an extra £85 million to ensure the criminal justice system can support the work of these extra officers.

EU Nationals: Discrimination

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of sanctions or other actions that may be applied in relation to landlords, employers and providers of services who, before the end of the implementation period, discriminate against UK-resident citizens of the EU who have not yet been granted settled status or pre-settled status.

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the options that will be available to UK-resident citizens of the EU who possess settled status or pre-settled status, when a landlord, employer or provider of a service is unable or unwilling to check their status information on line.

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provision they will make available to (1) landlords, (2) employers, and (3) providers of services, who need to check the status of persons claiming to possess settled status or pre-settled status and are not able to access that information online.

baroness williams of trafford: EEA and Swiss citizens can continue to use their national passports or identity cards to evidence their status in the UK until the new border and immigration system is introduced in 2021. There is no requirement for them to start using their digital status to evidence their right to rent, work or other entitlements until then.The Home Office has published statutory codes of practice on GOV.UK for landlords and employers on how to avoid unlawful discrimination when undertaking checks, which clearly stipulate that landlords and employers should provide individuals with every opportunity to demonstrate their right to rent and work and should not discriminate on the basis of how the individual chooses to evidence their status check; by the production of documents or using the online service.We are clear those who discriminate are breaking the law. Any EEA or Swiss national who believes they have been discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, may bring a complaint before the courts or before an employment tribunal. The Equality Advisory Support Service is there to support people who may have experienced discrimination in England, Scotland or Wales, and an equivalent is provided by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.95[1] per cent of adults aged 16-74 years in the UK in 2018 were recent internet users, however, we are committed to delivering a service that reflects the diverse needs of all users:We have a call centre that can assist digital status holders to use the service and telephone helplines that offer guidance to employers and landlords on conducting right to work and right to rent checks.We are providing assisted digital services that are triaged to reflect the individual’s need – both the status holder and the user who may be conducting the check.We will continue to review how digital status is working and the impact of its usage as we roll it out, to inform future design and communications.[1] https://www.ons.GOV.UK/businessindustryandtrade/itandinternetindustry/bulletins/internetusers/2019

Immigration: EU Nationals

lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the IT system for settled status applications so that itacceptapplications from people over the age of 100.

baroness williams of trafford: Applicants of any ages, including those over the age of 100, are able to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme via the online application form.We are aware of a very small number of applicants over the age of 100 who have seen incorrect content relating to their age when making their application via the identity app. These issues are caused by the format of the date of birth in the Machine Readable Zone and Biometric Chip in the applicant's identity document and we are investigating ways to address this.Applicants are encourages to contact the Settlement Resolution Centre if they experience any issues or have any concerns about their application. Our trained agents can amend the date of birth manually in the event of any errors.

British Nationality: British Overseas Territories

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 10 February(HL802), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, what discussions they have had with British Overseas Territories about the access to citizenship by children of fathers from such territories who were not married to the children's mothers; and what plans they have to address this issue in any forthcoming immigration bill.

baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what date they expect to provide detailsof their resolutions in regard to theaccess to citizenship ofchildren of unmarried British Overseas Territories citizen fathers.

baroness williams of trafford: We are aware the provisions regarding the children of unmarried British Overseas Territories citizen fathers do not match those for British citizens.We have set out the matter for all Overseas Territories and sought their views. We have also explained what might be required in pratical terms, by reference to the registration arrangements which already exist for British citizen fathers.We will provide details of any propsed resolution in due course.

Deportation: Jamaica

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government who was deported on to Jamaica Tuesday 11 February; and for what offences any such individual had been convicted.

baroness williams of trafford: On 11 February 2020, 17 foreign criminals with a combined sentence of 75 years and one life sentence were deported on a charter flight to Jamaica.Those on board had been convicted of serious crimes including robbery (3), burglary (1), rape (2), violent crime, including GBH (3), and drug offences (8).These are serious offences which have a very real impact on the victims and the communities that we all live in. As required under the UK Borders Act 2007, a deportation order must be made where a foreign national has been convicted of an offence and received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more. A deportation order may also be made against a serious or persistent offender who has received sentences of less than 12 months. All but one of those deported had sentences over 12 months.A full breakdown of the offences of the 17 people on the flight is below: Robbery: 1 convicted of robbery and was given a life sentence1 convicted of robbery, firearms offence, theft of a vehicle and possessing class A drugs, and was given a five-year sentence1 convicted for conspiracy to rob and possession of a firearm and was given a sentence of nine years Burglary:1 convicted of burglary and given a prison sentence of two years and six months Rape:1 convicted for rape and was given an 11-year sentence1 convicted of rape and was given a sentence of four years and six months Violent crime:1 convicted for a violent assault and was given a sentence of one year and three months1 convicted of wounding with intend to cause GBH, possession of a weapon in public place and violent offences against a person (Wounding) and was given a seven-year sentence1 convicted of a violent crime against a person and was given an eight-year sentence Drugs:1 convicted for intent to supply class A drugs and was given a seven-year sentence1 persistent offender, whose most recent conviction was for drugs offences and intimidating a witness, and was given a total sentence of 11 months1 convicted for importing controlled drugs and was given a sentence of four years1 convicted to supplying class A drugs and was given a sentence of four years and six months1 convicted to supplying class A drugs and was given a sentence of three years1 convicted of importing controlled class B drugs and was given a three-year sentence1 convicted of supplying class A drugs (crack cocaine) and was given a sentence of three years and two months1 convicted of supplying class A drugs and was given a sentence of three years and four months

Migrant Workers

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are planning to put in place to meet any increase in the number of immigrants to the UK as a result of proposed changes to the salary threshold for skilled migrant workers.

baroness williams of trafford: Under the future immigration system, people applying under the skilled worker route will need to meet a range of criteria, including a salary and skills threshold. This system is expected to bring the overall level of immigration down.Employers recruiting a skilled migrant worker will need to pay the Immigration Skills Charge, used to help fund training to increase the skills of the domestic workforce. Individual migrants, coming to the UK for more than six months, are required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge, ensuring they contribute to the cost of NHS services.

Deportation: Jamaica

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Court of Appeal’s instruction on 10 February to the Home Office not to remove anyone scheduled to be deported to Jamaica from two detention centres on 11 February unless the Home Office was satisfied that those scheduled for deportation had access to a functioning non-O2 Sim card on or before 3 February, on what basis any such deportations then took place.

baroness williams of trafford: The 17 Foreign National Offenders who were deported by charter flight on 11 February were individually assessed against the Court of Appeal order. The 17 were not covered by the terms of the order as they were either not held at IRC Colnbrook or IRC Harmondsworth or otherwise had been assessed by the courts as not being affected by the O2 outage.

Immigration Controls

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of public understanding of changes to immigration rules and how they may be affected by any such changes.

baroness williams of trafford: Changes to the Immigration Rules are accompanied by an Explanatory Memorandum, which explains how each of the changes may affect the public. Following each set of Immigration Rules changes, we also update relevant guidance on GOV.UK, so the public can understand how the changes may affect them.The Law Commission, in their report on simplifying the Immigration Rules on 14 January 2020, have made recommendations on how to improve the presentation of changes to the Immigration Rules. We are carefully considering the Law Commission’s report and recommendations. We will be providing a response to the report in due course.

Mayor of the West Midlands

baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to place the functions of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner under the control of the West Midlands Metro Mayor.

baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to levelling up the powers of combined authority mayors. In the West Midlands, this includes the option of a transfer of PCC functions to the Mayor. The consent of the Combined Authority, each of the constituent councils of the Combined Authority and the Mayor are legal requirements for a transfer of functions to take place. The views of the PCC are a factor in any consideration.The current Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, is supportive of combining both roles. However, this step has been blocked by Labour Group leaders.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

lord smith of finsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for Cambridge and Oxford colleges which award Junior Research Fellowships qualifying as funding bodies under the terms of the global talent visa scheme.

baroness williams of trafford: On 27 January, the Government announced details of the reformed Global Talent visa, including a new fast-track scheme for top scientists, researchers and mathematicians, which would be managed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). These changes are part of an initial phase of wider reforms to enable those with world-class specialist skills to come to the UK.The Government will continue to work closely with the Endorsing Bodies, including UKRI, and the wider scientific community. As part of this development we will discuss whether expanding the list of qualifying fellowships is approriate.

Northern Ireland Office

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

lord mccrea of magherafelt and cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the financial package to the Northern Ireland Executive.

viscount younger of leckie: The UK Government is providing the restored Executive with a £2 billion financial package that delivers for the people of Northern Ireland and supports the delivery of the New Decade, New Approach agreement. This financial commitment represents the biggest injection of new money in a Northern Ireland talks deal in well over a decade.

Terrorism: Northern Ireland

lord mccrea of magherafelt and cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the security situation in Northern Ireland.

viscount younger of leckie: The threat from dissident republican terrorism continues to be SEVERE in Northern Ireland. This Government’s first priority is to keep people safe and secure right across the United Kingdom.Vigilance against this continuing threat is essential and we remain determined to ensure that terrorism never succeeds.

Elections: Republic of Ireland

lord mccrea of magherafelt and cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the results of the general election held in the Republic of Ireland on 8 February; and in particular, of any impact of those results on Northern Ireland's relationship with the rest of the UK.

viscount younger of leckie: The Irish General Election results are of course a matter for the people of Ireland. The UK and Ireland are the nearest of neighbours and we look forward to continuing to work closely together with the future Government. Our commitment to Northern Ireland, and the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement remains steadfast, including the principle of consent and the East/West institutions set out in the Agreement which will support our wider cooperation and bilateral engagement with Ireland.It remains the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland's view that a majority of the people of Northern Ireland continue to support Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. The circumstances set out in the Belfast Agreement that require the Secretary of State to hold a referendum on Irish unification are therefore not satisfied.

IRA

lord mccrea of magherafelt and cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any ongoing existence of the IRA Army Council.

viscount younger of leckie: In 2015, the UK Government commissioned the Assessment of Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland in order to provide a factual assessment from the UK security agencies and the PSNI on the structure, role and purpose of paramilitary organisations in Northern Ireland.

Equality: Northern Ireland

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about women and equalities issues.

viscount younger of leckie: I understand that the previous Secretary of State for Northern Ireland had a range of discussions with members of the Executive on a range of matters. The new Secretary of State for Northern Ireland looks forward to having regular talks with the Executive on a number of issues, including women and equalities issues. The Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Robin Walker, has also had recent engagement with some Executive Ministers in Northern Ireland ahead of the introduction of the new abortion regulatory framework under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019.

Human Rights

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the new human rights and equalities powers as provided by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020.

viscount younger of leckie: Clause 23 and Schedule 3 of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 provide for certain changes to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 that will confer new statutory powers on the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Those new powers will allow the Commissions to monitor, report on and enforce the Government’s commitment, as set out in Article 2(1) of the Northern Ireland/Ireland Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement, that no diminution of certain rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity set out in the Belfast (‘Good Friday’) Agreement results from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the new powers of the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission as provided for in the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 will commence.

viscount younger of leckie: Article 2 of the Northern Ireland Protocol to the Withdrawal Agreement commits the UK Government to ensuring that no diminution of certain rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity set out in the Belfast (‘Good Friday’) Agreement results from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. That Article, which requires the UK to implement the commitment through “dedicated mechanisms”, applies from the end of the transition period. The new powers of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland will commence in time for them to carry out their functions as part of the dedicated mechanisms.

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the resources of the Equalities Commission for Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and whether they intend to make additional resources available to the those Commissions to undertake their functions under the new powers provided by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020.

viscount younger of leckie: To properly carry out their functions under the new powers provided by the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland will require further resources to cover, inter alia, new policy and research functions and communications and education activities.Additional resourcing will be confirmed in due course, subject to formal budgetary processes.

Time Zones: Northern Ireland

lord mccrea of magherafelt and cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Northern Ireland will operate in a different time zone to the rest of the UK for half of the year after December 2020.

viscount younger of leckie: The UK has now left the EU, and will not be applying the proposed EU Directive in the UK. There is no obligation for Northern Ireland to align with Ireland or the EU on time zones.

Coronavirus: Northern Ireland

lord mccrea of magherafelt and cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Northern Ireland Executive about the risks posed by coronavirus.

viscount younger of leckie: The UK wide response to coronavirus has been a collaboration between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations. The Northern Ireland Executive has been involved in both official and ministerial level planning meetings. This approach will continue as the UK response to coronavirus continues.

Treasury

Customs: Northern Ireland

lord mccrea of magherafelt and cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what EU customs declarations will be undertaken in Northern Ireland on goods from mainland UK after December 2020.

lord agnew of oulton: Northern Ireland will continue to be part of the UK’s customs territory. Some practical information will be required for goods moving from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland. This will be provided electronically and the Government will work with the EU to minimise the impact on traders.

Bridges: Irish Sea

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the engineering feasibility of building a bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland, and (2) the estimated costs and sources of funding for such a project.

lord agnew of oulton: The government is committed to upgrading our infrastructure, and we are looking at a range of options to level up the country and support growth and productivity in every region. We will set out more details on our plans to increase investment in infrastructure at the Budget.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Social Media: Artificial Intelligence

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to regulate the algorithms used by social media companies to promote content.

baroness barran: The Government published the initial response to the Online Harms White Paper consultation on 12 February 2020. This response confirmed that the Government is developing legislation on online harms to introduce a statutory duty of care, overseen and enforced by an independent regulator. This will require social media companies to have appropriate systems and processes in place to deal with harmful content on their services to keep their users safe. As set out in the White Paper, the regulator will have the power to request explanations about the way algorithms operate, where necessary to establish that a company is fulfilling its duty of care. The Government will publish full details of the final policy position in the Spring, ahead of legislation.On a related topic, the Government noted the Committee for Standards in Public Life's recent report on Artificial Intelligence, and will respond to its recommendations in due course.